Why Variety is Key in Assessing Student Learning Outcomes
To achieve a comprehensive and fair evaluation of student learning, educators must utilize a variety of assessment instruments and assessment tools. Relying on a single method limits the scope of what can be measured, potentially masking a student’s true understanding and skill set.
Primary Assessment Instruments for Educators
1. Objective Examinations
These include formats like multiple-choice, true/false, matching, and simple recall questions.
- Advantage: Teachers are highly familiar with this type of examination, and they are quick to grade, making them ideal for covering a large volume of content efficiently.
- Disadvantage: Constructing high-quality test questions that measure genuine understanding (rather than just memorization) can be difficult.
2. Essay Examinations
Essay exams require students to construct a response, allowing for individual expression and deep exploration of a topic.
- Advantage: They promote higher-order thinking skills and allow for student individuality and detailed expression.
- Disadvantage: They may not cover an entire range of knowledge due to time constraints, and scoring can be subjective and time-consuming.
3. Written Work
This category encompasses reports, papers, research projects, reviews, and other extended writing assignments.
- Advantage: Written work allows for learning in the process, as students develop research, organizational, and writing skills during the assignment.
- Disadvantage: Plagiarism is a risk, and the complexity of the work can make it difficult to quantify and score consistently.
4. Portfolio Assessment
Portfolio assessment is a powerful method for documenting learning growth over time. Portfolios are collections of student work that showcase their skills and achievements.
- Longitudinal Portfolio: Contains reports, documents, and professional activities compiled over a period of time, emphasizing progress.
- Best-Case/Thematic Portfolio: Specific to a certain topic or theme, showcasing a student’s strongest work and mastery of particular skills.
Assessment Rubrics: The Foundation of Authentic Assessment
An Assessment Rubric is an authentic assessment tool designed to measure student work. It functions as a scoring guide that evaluates a student’s performance based on a full range of pre-defined criteria rather than a single numerical score.
Authentic assessment like the use of rubrics allows students to perform real-world tasks which are either replicas or simulations of situations encountered by adult citizens, consumers, or professionals. Rubrics are used to assess non-objective test performance, such as psychomotor tests, presentations, and written reports.
Common Characteristics of Rubrics
- The emphasis is on a stated objective or learning goal.
- Performance is rated within a range or scale.
- They include specific performance characteristics arranged in levels or degrees that illustrate how well a standard has been met.
Major Types of Rubrics
A. Holistic Rubric
A holistic rubric covers the instrument as a whole. Students receive a single, over-all score based on a pre-determined scheme.
Holistic rubrics use criterion-based standards by providing comprehensive descriptions of the different levels of performance, such as: Most Acceptable, Very Acceptable, Acceptable, Barely Acceptable, and Unacceptable.
Example Scoring Protocol (for a Research Report):
- Most Acceptable: 20 and above
- Very Acceptable: 15-19
- Acceptable: 10-14
- Barely Acceptable: 5-9
- Unacceptable: Below 5
B. Dimensional/Analytical Rubric
A dimensional/analytical rubric yields sub-scores for each dimension (or criterion), as well as a cumulative score which is the sum (either weighted or unweighted) of those sub-scores. An analytical rubric utilizes multiple indicators of quality for academic tasks that involve more than one level of skill or ability, providing targeted feedback.
Example Scoring Protocol (for a Public Opinion Analysis Report):
- Most Acceptable: 7 and above
- Partially Acceptable: 4-6
- Unacceptable: Below 4
Competency/Skills Assessment: Tracking Growth to Proficiency
Competency and Skills Assessment tracks student mastery through phases, often ranging from Beginner to Proficiency Level. This approach recognizes that skills acquisition is a developmental process.
This skills model can be applied to both cognitive and psycho-motor skills, drawing inspiration from frameworks like “An adaptation of the Motor Skills Acquisition” by Patricia Benner and the “Assessment of Critical Thinking and of Technological Skills” by Herron and Dugan.
Example Competency: Critical Thinking
- Goal: Students must be able to think critically by performing specific cognitive tasks.
- Assessment Method: A tiered rubric or checklist is used to observe and rate the student’s ability to apply analysis, synthesis, and evaluation skills in a given task.
Example Competency: Technology Skills
- Goal: Students will be expected to use technology ethically, to access information, and use productivity tools to solve problems and produce products and presentations. They will be expected to locate and analyze various sources of information for problem-solving and conducting research.
- Assessment Method: A performance checklist or an analytical rubric is used to rate the student’s process and final product, tracking progress from novice use to independent, proficient application of technology.
